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Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
  3. 3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
  4. 4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
  5. 5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
  6. 6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.
Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›
Madhya-līlā · Chapter 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth
Madhya 20.245Madhya 20.247

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.246

গুণাবতার, আর মন্বন্তরাবতার ।

যুগাবতার, আর শক্ত্যাবেশাবতার ॥ ২৪৬ ॥

guṇāvatāra, āra manvantarāvatāra

yugāvatāra, āra śaktyāveśāvatāra

Translation

“There are incarnations that control the material qualities [guṇa-avatāras], incarnations who appear during the reign of each Manu [manvantara-avatāras], incarnations in different millenniums [yuga-avatāras] and incarnations of empowered living entities [śaktyāveśa-avatāras].

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Incarnations Have Different Roles

  1. 1

    The guṇa-avatāras control the material qualities. They are Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu.

  2. 2

    The manvantara-avatāras appear during the reign of each Manu and number fourteen. They are sometimes called vaibhava-avatāras; Yajña and Vāmana are also counted among the līlā-avatāras.

  3. 3

    The yuga-avatāras appear in different millenniums. The śaktyāveśa-avatāras are incarnations of empowered living entities.

Key points from the purport
  • The guṇa-avatāras are three — Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu (Bhāg. 10.88.3).
  • The avatāras who appear during the reign of each Manu, known as manvantara-avatāras, are listed as follows in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Eighth Canto, chapters 1, 5 and 13): (1) Yajña, (2) Vibhu, (3) Satyasena, (4) Hari, (5) Vaikuṇṭha, (6) Ajita, (7) Vāmana, (8) Sārvabhauma, (9) Ṛṣabha, (10) Viṣvaksena, (11) Dharmasetu, (12) Sudhāmā, (13) Yogeśvara and (14) Bṛhadbhānu.
  • All these manvantara incarnations are sometimes called vaibhava-avatāras.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 20.246 quotesSB 10.88.3

The guṇa-avatāras are three — Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Humility and restored identity. A seeker relinquishes status, asks fundamental questions, and receives sambandha knowledge.

The mood of Madhya 20 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He also described the incarnations of God within the material world, incarnations such as the puruṣa-avatāras, manvantara-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras and śaktyāveśa-avatāras. The Lord also discussed the divisions of Kṛṣṇa’s different ages, such as bālya and paugaṇḍa, and the different pastimes of the different ages.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. guṇa-avatārathe incarnations who control the material qualities
  2. āraalso
  3. manu-antara-avatārathe incarnations who appear during the reign of each Manu
  4. yuga-avatārathe incarnations according to different yugas
  5. āraand
  6. śakti-āveśa-avatāraempowered incarnations
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does distinguishing these roles help you understand the different incarnations?

Practice

Write down the four categories named in the translation, with a short description of each.

4

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayIncarnations Have Different RolesThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

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